For the first time, we will be spending three months in one place (Arizona) over the winter. During the rest of the year we move about every two weeks. In the past we have never considered tire covers because we moved so frequently. I am wondering if tire covers are truly beneficial, or, can they cause more harm than good with heat buildup? Your thoughts and experiences are appreciated.
Tire Covers!
- Thread starter janie2
- Start date
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Laura & Charles
Well-known member
You’ll find lots of different opinions on this topic here. I personally have never bothered covering tires. I’ll be changing them before they’re eight years old and can’t believe covers are going to make any difference in the timeframe.
You’re wise to consider heat buildup. If I ever were to get covers, I’d get the curtain style.
www.shadepro.net
You’re wise to consider heat buildup. If I ever were to get covers, I’d get the curtain style.
INNOVA Tire Shades | Made from Extra Heavy-duty Solar Fabric
The INNOVA Tire Shades are made from extra heavy-duty solar fabric that cuts UV and will not mildew, fade or shrink. It includes adjustable height pockets.v
www.shadepro.net
tlmgcamp
Well-known member
- Joined
- Jul 16, 2016
- Posts
- 839
In my 35 years as a homeowner, I have owned 3 small utility trailers and a popular. I own a TT now but it's new so I can't draw conconclusions. In that time I only had to replace tires due to sidewall cracking rather than wear. The tires on the shady side of where the trailers were parked, and the covered spare, seemed to have less sidewall cracking. If you are a full timer, or nearly so, who puts serious miles on your rig every year, I guess you could wear out the tires before the sun gets to them
tlmgcamp
Well-known member
- Joined
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Popup, not popular
Kirk
Well-known member
Of the RVs that we have owned I only used them on the one that we were fulltime in. I got them because most tire manufacturers were saying that direct sun on tires is to be avoided when not in use. I would put them on any time that we stopped for a week or longer. If they made any difference, I couldn't detect what but I replaced the tires at 7 years with more than half of the tread left, then sold the RV at 14 years with the 7 year old tires still on. We downsized to a travel trailer and don't use them on it and the first set of tires were replaced after 7 years with the RV inside when not in use and the second set are now 3 years old and it is stored outside. My wife liked the looks of the covers on the fulltime rig when we sat in one spot for extended periods but that was the only real benefit that I could state with certainty.
Boat Bum
Well-known member
You say that rather inconsequentially.
Ray-IN
Well-known member
Have you found anything that proves tire covers actually make tires last longer? I haven't. I found Kirks comment to be factual.You say that rather inconsequentially.
SRGuy
Well-known member
I now religiously cover my tires, thinking that might help them stand the brutal Texas summers. Before that, I kept blowing a tire on almost every trip we took in our tt. After I began covering them: We blew out two tires, a few trips ago.
They look nice, so I'll keep covering them, I think. If I blow two more tires on a single trip, yeah, the covers will go in the trash.
They look nice, so I'll keep covering them, I think. If I blow two more tires on a single trip, yeah, the covers will go in the trash.
Boat Bum
Well-known member
I was suggesting (jokingly) he may have undervalued the benefit of the aesthetic value to his wife; I guess it was a fail.
Viper02
Member
If you are not already using tire covers on your RV then you should.. The tires block the UV.. this is the MAJOR contributor to the tire breaking down and starting to split on the sidewall, etc.. If you are parked for more than a few days then get the covers and install them to enjoy longer tire life..
SRGuy
Well-known member
As I wrote, I use them, religiously. A few trips ago: TWO blowouts, one going, one returning. New-ish tires. Yeah, those tires were "foreign," but they had covers on them, every time I was in a slip, and every time I came back home. I'll keep using them, but I strongly doubt that they do much, if anything, for tire life. They do look nice, though.
Mark_K5LXP
Well-known member
I think they amount to rearranging deck chairs on the titanic in terms of preservation. I can see an upside to maybe keeping the tires and rims cleaner but it's one more thing to buy, install, remove and store. If it's aesthetics then great, but it's not like you can demonstrably extend useful tire life by using them. Tires will be replaced by the calendar no matter if you used covers or not. I had some passenger car tires that were nearly new stored inside my garage (zero UV) for about 10 years until I had a use for them. They failed very quickly, in about 6 months and a few thousand miles. Since tires are destined to the recycler no matter what, I don't see much point in going through pains to cover them.
Mark B.
Albuquerque, NM
Mark B.
Albuquerque, NM
Kirk
Well-known member
I suppose that might be true if you try to keep the same tires until all tread is gone but tire covers do nothing at all to prevent damage to the belts in tire construction and they won't minimize the damage done to your RV when a tire blows out at highway speeds. For that reason I will continue to replace my tires as they age out and not worry about covers.
I started useing them right after we got our 5er in 2011. It was Wife's idea as I had never used them on any previous rv or utility trailer. 1st set was the dual wheel kind & did look good and put them on whenever parked for more than overnight. Got 8 years out of GY tires.
They got where you couldn't get them clean looking so got some new ones. These are the single tire type and I hate them. You can't use X-Chocks with this type. Other than it made HER happy which is why I use them, no scientific Tire saving data to share.
They got where you couldn't get them clean looking so got some new ones. These are the single tire type and I hate them. You can't use X-Chocks with this type. Other than it made HER happy which is why I use them, no scientific Tire saving data to share.
meierjn
Well-known member
I didn't know they made covers for dual wheels. I use X-Chocks as well. I'll have to look into them. The X-Chocks didn't work well with the single wheel covers?
